Anzac Day 2012

 Well it was that time of year when I grab a few nevilles in the middle of the night, and drive into Perth at 3 in the morning for the ANZAC Dawn service. This year I had with me Jacko, Sarah and Harrison, but we did lose Oscar this time as Nana Young was taken the two little ones for a day out.

 

A photo of the Cenotaph before dawn.

During the dawn we listen to the ‘Reveille’ which is one of a number of bugle calls in military tradition that mark the phases of the day, the Reveille signals the start of a soldier's day and usually sounded at dawn.                                                      

 Here's the mob with the War Memorial in the back ground which was made back in 1929, and as you can see most of the people that were celebrating Anzac Day have moved on. Today just over 40,000 Sandgropers turned out for the Dawn service, isn't it great that so many people turn out for this amazing day.

 

Down underneath the Cenotaph in the crypt they have the names of our fallen heroes, Great soldiers from Western Australia who died during the two Great Wars. Here's Harrison with a fella with the same name as he's (but as a surname), and Jacko found his name just next door.  

 

Now it was time for our Champagne Breakfast... well without the champers, and could you ask for a better backdrop then this! 

As we were leaving the Park a young sheilah asked if we would like to have a photo together, so their you go you get to see my ugly mug in a photo.

 

As we usually do we found a soldier who fought in the War and found out who they were, and today we found a fella named Sergent Mark Richard Korbosky. Service No 406721, who signed up leaving his wife Margaret behind as he joined the RAAF 32 Squadron.

 

At the age of 28 he was a crew member on the Lockheed Hudson Mark IVa A16-101 and stationed at '7-mile Drome' at Port Moresby, where it left on the night of March the 3rd, 1942. The Hudson was one of five that took off from that airstrip on a night bombing mission over Gasmata Airfield, that was on New Britain Island which was situated just above Papua New Guinea. The aircraft reached the target and during the bombing crashed onto a coral reef off Gasmata. Also lost that night was another Hudson A16-165 unfortunately all crewman were killed, lost that night along with Sargent Korbosky were  Flying Officer Nicolay, Sargent Cass and Sargent Coppin who had been married for just one week.Sgt Korbosky was another great Australian lost in that dreadful War, the very least we can do is spend a little time reminiscing about what these brave soldiers gave up for us...       

'When You Go Home, Tell Them Of Us And Say,
For Their Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today'

lest we forget